>
> The other side of the equation is art. The two are very separate,
> and yet, very much tied together.... sounds French, doesn't it? Some
> will take the craftsmanship and develop it into an art form. Some
> are very artistically oriented, and have to let the craft develop to
> meet their artistic levels.
This is really confusing to me, and something that I have not encountered in all my reading in art history and criticism, at least from about the latter half of the 20th century to now.
So what I am to assume from what you had explained is this is a hierarchical thing, from bad craft to good craft onto bad art to good art? a craftsman is a bit 'oafish' and on a "mere mortal" plane and should aspire to the 'sensitive artist'?
I have not heard it reduced so.
what I have kinda gathered is that craft is about the object - it is very important, in the practice of craft, to produce an object. Many different levels of sophistication can be applied to that object from a craftsmanship perspective, such as function, appropriateness of materials, skillfulness in executing the manipulation of said materials,
longevity and durability, etc. Additional design attributes which contribute to aesthetics is usually intended to be applied to this object. Beauty, however, can be rather subjective as to what is judged appealing, an ornamental lug may be 'over the top' compared to the sublime reductionist perfection of the Richie-issimo Series lugs to one person, while sophisticated Hetchins fretwork may be the pinnacle of lug
design to another.
art,on the other hand, has little to do with the produced object, but rather the conceptual aspects that the object (if in fact it does exist)
invokes. This is often why the documentation of the object or event (such as performance) can be sufficient to invoke the 'art experience'. Aesthetics is also a concern to the artist, and this may take many forms including subverting beauty to serve the idea.
I have a deep respect for the great in both, they employ the same amount
of intellectual rigor, commitment and dedication.
I am afraid that 'Art' in the Craft world has had more relevance as an inappropriate descriptor for marketing, probably because craft has been inappropriately applied as a derisive term (as in 'arts and crafts'),
and the exclusive in the art market commands some pretty high prices.
Also, there does not seem to be as much respect for handwork these days.
That will change (I think and hope) as it becomes rarer. This list, as a whole has one thing in common, we all have a deep respect for the object and what it took to produce that object.
best regards, gabriel
--
gabriel l romeu
here is sunny chesterfield, nj, usa
± http://studiofurniture.com Ø http://journalphoto.org ±